This invention relates generally to slats that are inserted into a chain link fence and more particularly to a system for effectively locking the slats into the fence.
Chain link fences are inexpensive and are easy to install and maintain. Therefore, chain-link fences have become a popular way to secure portions of land. However, a chain link fence does not provide a high level of privacy and is generally not as attractive as, for example, a wood fence. Plastic slats are commonly weaved between the consecutive links of the chain-link fence to increase privacy, improve aesthetics, and provide wind protection. However, after the fence slats have been installed, they have a tendency to slip out of the chain link, causing the slats to become misaligned and reducing the overall effectiveness of the slats in increasing fence security and aesthetic beauty. Traditional fence slats can also be easily removed by vandals. Having to continuously realign fence slats due to slippage or replace fence slats due to vandalism negate the major advantages for installing a chain link fence, namely, low cost and low maintenance.
Numerous techniques have been devised to maintain alignment of the slats and impede unauthorized attempts to remove the slats. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,044 to Cluff and U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,761 to Cluff use a multitude of clips to secure the fence slats in the fence fabric. The clips, however, increase the number of parts and the amount of time required to install the fence system.
Other techniques such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,640 to Vecchiarelli and U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,794 to Suprunuk et al. provide special bends at the slats ends that are used to attach the slat to the fence. Special bends at the ends of the slats increase manufacturing costs and prevent efficient stacking of the slats, thus, increasing shipping costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,958 to Thompson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,906 to Walden disclose slats that provide a second horizontal retainer that is used to seat vertically aligned slats. The slats and the retainer, however, do not interlock and, therefore, would not prevent unauthorized removal of the fence slats from the chain link fence. U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,098 to Abbott, et al. uses a retaining section that attaches to a slot at the end of the fence slat. The slot is cut into the center of the slat and is bent out to engage with the retaining section.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,664 to Cluff uses a horizontally aligned clip that attaches to barbs placed on opposite lateral ends of the slat. The slat barbs, however, only attach with a small section of the retainer. A small slat/retainer contact area make it highly likely that the slat will not always seat properly in the retainer. The slats are, therefore, subject to unauthorized removal when the retainer is not properly engaged. Having to constantly reinsert the slat into the clip until the system properly locks increases overall installation time. Because, the retainer only attaches with a small section of the slat barb, it is difficult to determine with a high degree of confidence whether the slat actually seats properly in the retainer. For example, there is not a loud "snap" when the slat locks into the retainer. Thus, there is a greater chance that slat system will be improperly installed.
Several of the slats described above have rounded lateral sides or tubular designs. These rounded sides prevent the slats from being efficiently stacked for shipping and storage. Rounded sides also restrict slat width. For example, the slats cannot extend as far laterally in between the interlocking links of the chain link fence. Thus, a wider spacing exists between adjacent slats, reducing the amount of privacy provided by the slats and increasing the amount of distance the slat can shift in between the chain links. Several of the previous slat systems described above also require a fairly high degree of accuracy in the dimensional relationships between the retaining section and the slat. For example, in Cluff, the barbs must be cut at a precise location on the bottom end of the slat or the clip will not lock correctly. Thus, more time must be spent in tooling and manufacturing to ensure each slat and clip operates satisfactory.
Accordingly, a need remains for a low cost slat locking system that can be quickly and reliably installed in a chain link fence and is more effective in preventing unauthorized slat removal.